Sorting into lengths or dragging bristles, hair, and the like



A. H. TIMMIS. SORTING INTO LENGTHS 0R DRAGGING BRISTLES, HAIR,'AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-4,1919.

Patented July 27 1920.

2 SHEETS8HEET I.

Inventor anew/x3 llll'llll llli llill'lllll A. H. TIMMIS. SORTING INTO LENGTI-IS 0R DRAGGING BRISTLES, HAIR, AND THE LIKE APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4, I919.

Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Wl'bwsses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT HENRY TIMMIS, OF HARROW, ENGLAND.

SORTING INTO LENGTHS 0R DRAGGING BRISTLES, HAIR, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 4, 1919. Serial No. 274,920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, ALBERT HENRY TIM- Mrs,- a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Fairmount, Harrow View, Harrow, Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sorting into Lengths or Dragging Bristles, Ha r and the like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of, and means for dragging or sorting into lengths bristles, hair and the like, and has for its object to supersede the tedious method of sorting by hand.

According to my invention the bristles,

hair or the like (hereinafter referred to as bristles) to be dragged or sorted are preferably first combed and prepared in the known manner and beaten solid on the flag ends, so as to provide a bundle of bristles the root ends of which project unevenly in accordance with the varying lengths of the bristles or the like. The ends of the longest bristles, that isto say, those which project farthest from the bundle are then subjected to pressure alternately on the opposite sides against a fixed or resisting surface so as to bend them to and fro, this alternating movement, owing to the fact that the bristles are slightly tapering, having the effect of lifting or pulling the bristles so acted upon from the bundle. By this means, therefore, all the bristles between certain predetermined fixed limits in length. can be lifted or pulled from the bundle, and by repetition of the operation the bundle can be subdivided according to the varying lengths of bristles.

A suitable arrangement of apparatus for carrying out the invention comprises a sliding receptacle or holder for the bristles, combed and prepared as described, a pair of combs constituting a selecting device, one of which is fixed and the other of which can be reciprocated relatively to the fixed comb by any suitable means, a pair of feed rollers between which the bristles when lifted to a certain extent are caught and the rotation of which pulls the said bristles out of the bundle, and a traveling band on to which such bristles are delivered.

Means are also provided for adjusting the holder so as to bring a further series of bristles into a position such that they can be dealt with by the selecting device.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a front view of my improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with a part removed, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, ,Fig, 1..

64 indicates the frame of the machine, and 7) the receptacle or holder for the bristles 6 which holder, as shown, is in the form of a drawer adapted to be pushed into and removed from the frame, the said holder having in it a pusher or movable partition 0 for holding the bristles in position during the pulling operation.

This pusher has pressing against it a spring (Z which will .move forward to keep the bristles in position as the bulk of the bundle decreases. The pressure of this spring can be adjusted by a set screw 6 passing through the front of the holder 6.

f, 9 indicate the combs of the selecting device, the former of which is fixed with relation to the frame, while the latter is adapted to slide upon it. The teeth of these combs are arranged at a slight distance from one another so that the movement of the upper comb will not cut or injure the bristles, and in practice the teeth of the lower comb projects slightly beyond'those of the upper comb so that the bristles will enter between the lower comb before they come into contact with the upper comb.

With this arrangement it is to be understood that the bristles which project between the teeth of the lower com-b sufliciently far to be acted upon by the upper comb, will be bent to and fro as the upper comb reciprocates, which bending will have the cifect of lifting the bristles so acted upon in the bundle.

In practice, the reciprocation of the up per comb is advantageously effected in one direction by a cam 7L and in the reverse direction by a spring 2', the cam, as shown, is provided with two projecting surfaces which operate against a roller is on the comb to move it outward until the projection moves away from the roller when the spring z'movesthe comb in the reverse direction.

Z, Z are the rollers, which, when the bris- Patented J nly 27, 1920.

tles are raised to a certain extent, catch such sponding Wheel 9 on the shaft of the other roller, thereby causing the two rollers to move in unison. On the shaft Z is a bevel pinion 1* which engages a bevel wheel 8 on the shaft of one of the rollers over which the belt n travels.

As the bristles are removed, the holder 12 must be gradually pushed forward beneath the combs until all the bristles which proj ect sufficiently to be caught between the said combs are removed. When this has been done the holder is moved backwards and the bottom t of the said holder is lifted to a certain extent to raise the bristles when the operation before described is repeated, and so on until the whole of the bristles in the bundle have been sorted. I

As shown in the drawing, the bottom 2, is carried by four screws u, a adaptedto rotate freely in lugs o, '0 011 the drawer, and the lower screw threaded ends of which enter screw threaded lugs to on the said bottom.

Claims. 7 1. The method of sorting bristles and th like into lengths, consisting in arranging the the said combs being held against movement,

and means for reciprocating the other comb relatively to the stationary comb so as to exert pressure alternately on opposite sides of the bristles and so lift them from the bundle.

3. Apparatus for sorting bristles and the like into lengths comprising a holder for a bundle of bristles which are supported therein on the flag ends, a selecting device including a pair ofcombs through which the projecting butt ends pass, one of the said combs being held against movement and the other being mounted for reciprocation relatively thereto so as to exert pressure alternately on opposite sides of the bristles, and means for seizing the bristles lifted by the selecting device and withdrawing them completely from the bundle.

4. Apparatus for sorting bristles and the like into lengths comprising a holder for a bundle of bristles which are supported therein on the flag ends, a selecting device including a pair of combs through which the projecting butt ends pass, one of the said combs being held against movement, and the other being mounted for. reciprocation relatively thereto so as to exert pressure alternately on opposite sides of the bristles, and means whereby the bristle holder can be adjusted in position relatively to the selecting device.

5. Apparatus for sorting bristles and the like into lengths comprising a holder for a bundle of bristles which are supported therein on the flag ends, a selecting device including a pair of combs through which the projecting butt ends pass, one of the said combs being held against movement and the other being mounted for reciprocation relatively thereto so as to exert pressure alternately on opposite sides of the bristles, and means for raising the bristle holder.

ALBERT HENRY TIMMIS. 

